The 365 · Sunnah · Day 332 · Quran
Healing with the Qur'an (Ruqyah)
The hadith
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ إِذَا اشْتَكَى يَقْرَأُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالْمُعَوِّذَاتِ وَيَنْفُثُ، فَلَمَّا اشتَدَّ وَجَعُهُ كُنتُ أَقْرَأُ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَمْسَحُ بِيَدِهِ رَجَاءَ بَرَكَتِهَا. وَفِي الْقُرْآنِ: ﴿وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ (الإسراء 82).
ʿĀ'ishah reported: When the Prophet ﷺ was ill, he would recite the protective surahs over himself and blow on his hands; when his pain intensified, I would recite over him and rub his hand seeking its barakah. (Bukhari 5751, Muslim 2192). Allah says: 'We send down in the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers.' (al-Isrāʾ 17:82)
Svenska: ʿĀ'ishah berättade att Profeten ﷺ, när han var sjuk, reciterade de skyddande surorna över sig själv och blåste på sina händer. (Bukhari 5751, Muslim 2192). Allah säger: 'Vi sänder ner i Koranen det som är helande och nåd för de troende.' (al-Isrāʾ 17:82)
Bukhari 5751; Muslim 2192; al-Isrāʾ 17:82
The story
Abū Saʿīd narrated that some Companions traveling came upon a tribe whose chief had been stung. They asked for hospitality and were refused. Then the tribe's chief was stung; they came seeking help. A Companion recited al-Fātiḥah on him; he stood up healed. The Companion took payment (sheep). When they returned to the Prophet ﷺ, he laughed and said: 'How did you know it was a ruqyah?' He approved both the practice and the payment. (Bukhari 5736)
Why it's here
The Qur'an is named SHIFA' (healing) by Allah Himself. Reciting the protective surahs (al-Fātiḥah, Āyat al-Kursī, al-Ikhlāṣ, al-Falaq, al-Nās) over oneself or others, with the intention of healing, is established Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ practiced it; ʿĀ'ishah practiced it on him.
Try it today
When ill (physically or spiritually), recite over yourself: al-Fātiḥah seven times; Āyat al-Kursī; the last three Quls three times each; verses of healing (al-Tawbah 9:14, Yūnus 10:57, al-Isrāʾ 17:82, al-Shuʿarāʾ 26:80, Fuṣṣilat 41:44). Blow lightly on the hand and pass it over the affected area or over your body.
In your day
Modern medicine is essential; the Sunnah is complementary. The believer combines both: visit the doctor, take the medication, AND recite. The Qur'an's healing operates on dimensions medicine cannot reach.
A reflection to carry
The Qur'an is shifaʾ. Use it for healing. The Sunnah authorized the practice; the verses are gifts.
Read the longer reflection
Ruqyah is one of the Qur'an's gifts most underused by modern Muslims. We have lost faith in the unseen healing because we have given over-faith to the visible. The Sunnah corrects this: the Prophet ﷺ healed Companions with verses; the Companions healed each other; Allah named the Qur'an as healing twice. The believer is not asked to abandon medicine; he is asked to add the Sunnah. For colds, anxiety, sleeplessness, recurring fears, persistent struggles, recite. The healing operates in dimensions you cannot see. May Allah grant us shifaʾ through His Book.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
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